State champs dominate all-state softball squads

SM-Tn Sports

Southern Middle Tennessee’s state championship softball programs are well represented on the Tennessee Sports Writers Association all-state teams that were announced this week.

Columbia Academy, the 2021 Division II-A state titlist following a 2019 championship in Class A, leads the way with four DII-A all-state selections. Summertown and Forrest, which claimed crowns in Class A and Class AA respectively during Spring Fling a couple of months ago, each have a trio of honorees.

For the Lady Bulldogs, juniors Myleah Hardy, Karli Quillin and Averi Slaughter were joined by Carson-Newman signee Journey Mitchell. Hardy hit .509 with 10 doubles, 20 home runs, 65 RBIs and 46 runs scored, with Quillin batting .449 and scoring 51 runs while stealing 22 bases on 23 attempts. Slaughter went 24-0 in the circle with an 0.83 earned run average and 220 strikeouts in 126 innings, while Mitchell posted a 15-2 mark and a 1.14 ERA, striking out 144 in 80 innings.

Behind that quartet, CA finished 41-2 and ended the season on a 27-game winning streak.

Summertown’s Kaley Campbell, Hailey Jones and Claire Woods were named all-state along with Loretto’s Briley Dover, Huntland’s Ashtyn Danley and Eagleville eighth-graders Brinli Bain and Addisyn Linton.

Campbell, an Austin Peay golf signee, hit .358 with four home runs and 32 RBIs while compiling a 13-1 record with an 0.66 ERA and 136 strikeouts in 74 innings for the Lady Eagles. Jones and Woods are both set to play softball collegiately – Jones at North Alabama, Woods at Middle Tennessee State. Jones batted .402 with 12 homers and 39 RBIs, while Woods went 21-1 with an 0.67 ERA and 197 strikeouts in 126 innings. At the plate, Woods hit .410 with seven homers and 32 RBIs.

Summertown went 34-2-1 en route to a second Class A state title in four years, to go with its 2018 championship and its runner-up finish in 2019.

Dover hit .542 with eight homers and 37 RBIs to lead the Lady Mustangs to the program’s first state tourney appearance.

In Class AA, Forrest won its second consecutive state tourney and finished 31-4-1 behind its senior threesome of Kentucky signee Jenna Blanton, MTSU recruit Laura Mealer and Walters State signee Ashley Milligan. Blanton batted .600, stole 39 bases and scored 61 runs for the Lady Rockets, while Mealer hit .609 with eight homers and 53 RBIs. Milligan went 23-2 in the circle, posting a 1.03 ERA and striking out 251 in 156 innings.

A third MTSU signee, Keri Munn, earned Class AAA all-state honors for Coffee County.

Earlier this week, the TSWA all-state teams in track and field, tennis, baseball and boys soccer were announced.

The all-state softball teams, in their entirety, follow:

Class AAA

C — Makenzie Henderson, Anderson Co., Jr.; INF — Cayden Baker, Powell, Sr.; Sierra Brown, Walker Valley, Jr.; Hayden Dye, Powell, Sr.; Cameron Young, Farragut, Sr.; OF — Reagan Duran, Siegel, Jr.; Syerra Rogers, East Hamilton, Sr.; Avery Strickland, Farragut, Jr.; UTIL — Lauren Brakovec, Farragut, Jr.; P — Avery Flatford, Farragut, Jr.; Keri Munn, Coffee Co., Sr.; Catelyn Riley, Jefferson Co., Sr.

Class AA

C — Olivia Underwood, Sequoyah, Sr.; INF — Jenna Blanton, Forrest, Sr.; Italia Kyle, Alcoa, Jr.; Laura Mealer, Forrest, Sr.; Abby Shoulders, Macon Co., Sr.; OF — Addy Edgmon, Sequatchie Co., Jr.; Ella Edgmon, Sequatchie Co., Sr.; Lexie Wright, Red Bank, Sr.; UTIL — Mykenzi Duke, Lexington, So.; P — Cadey McDaniel, Lexington, Jr.; Ashley Milligan, Forrest, Sr.; Bailee Phillips, Red Bank, Sr.

Class A

C — Brinli Bain, Eagleville, 8th; INF — Kaley Campbell, Summertown, Sr.; Briley Dover, Loretto, So.; Hailey Jones, Summertown, Sr.; Shelby Sullivan, Sale Creek, Sr.; OF — Ashtyn Danley, Huntland, So.; Zoey Neal, Gibson Co., Sr.; Sophie Theobald, Union City, Jr.; UTIL — Hannah Skiles, Sale Creek, Sr.; P — Campbell Gaby, North Greene, So.; Addisyn Linton, Eagleville, 8th; Claire Woods, Summertown, Sr.

Division II-A

C — Presley Williamson, Boyd Buchanan, Sr.; INF — Aubrey Barnhart, Goodpasture, Sr.; Kayla Clement, Tipton-Rosemark, Jr.; Myleah Hardy, Columbia Acad., Jr.; Brooke Harrison, Tipton-Rosemark, Fr.; OF — Ella Brooks, Knoxville Grace, Jr.; Hailey Brooks, Knoxville Grace, Fr.; Karli Quillin, Columbia Acad., Jr.; UTIL — McCade Cooper, Silverdale Baptist, Jr.; P — Journey Mitchell, Columbia Acad., Sr.; Charli Rice, Tipton-Rosemark, Sr.; Averi Slaughter, Columbia Acad., Jr.

Division II-AA

C — Ansley Blevins, Chatt. Girls Prep, Jr.; INF– Cadashia Collins, Baylor, Jr.; Chapel Cunningham, Chatt. Girls Prep, Sr.; Lauren Kay, Chattanooga Chr., Sr.; Madison Vandergriff, Chattanooga Christian, Sr.; OF — Raven Jones, Baylor, Jr.; Neely Taylor, St. Benedict, Jr.; Addi Yates, Baylor, Fr.: UTIL — Acelynn Sellers, Baylor, Sr.; P — Syd Berzon, Baylor, Jr.; Emily Day, Chattanooga Chr., Sr.; Josie Gex, St. Benedict, Sr.

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